SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR

There's no doubt this album is among the greatest debut of all time within progressive rock territory. With this, as I became aware later on, Marillion started raising the neo- progressive rock flag and confirming that progressive rock still alive and kicking in the global music map which at the time, the period of 1980s, heavily infested by punk and new wave genre.

In first listening, sometime in 1985, Fish -- whose vocal reminded me of Peter Gabriel -- hit me straight at the heart and mind when he sang this line: So here I am once more in the playground of the broken hearts/ One more experience, one more entry in a diary, self-penned...

What a great line. And, as if he kept the best part for the proper moment, he moved on to blew me with this: Too late to say I love you/ Too late to restage the play, the game is over.

A mellow song? No. It's a killer song. This was and always is what I think. Because the lyric is so brilliant in telling the story -- about a brokenhearted someone? Whatever it might be. Because the melody is so heavenly beautiful yet so powerful in casting some marks in the heart and minds of its listeners. And also because Fish denouncing that "... the game is over."

But five more extraordinary songs follows: "He Knows You Know", "The Web", "Garden Party", "Chelsea Monday" and "Forgotten Sons". By extraordinary I mean great lyrics, incredible melodies, tight arrangements and superb performances. And all them combined set the standard for their later efforts -- probably also for another bands in the sub-genre.

Not only is a must for Marillion fans, this album also essential for any progressive rock fan.